Docs love this medical TV drama—and it might actually be making their jobs easier
Industry Buzz
When television portrays medicine realistically, it can be a great tool for educating patients. Medicine is complex, and media can help spark conversations with patients.
—Brintha Vasagar, MD
Inaccurate portrayals can unintentionally cause harm by shaping preferences that aren’t aligned with real outcomes. Seeing a show prompt people to reflect on values, limits of medicine, and end-of-life planning [is] a powerful example of how media can support informed, compassionate decision-making.
—Carter Neugarten, MD
As we've reported before, doctors loved the first season of HBO Max's The Pitt for it's hyper-realistic portrayal of the chaos, heartbreak, and joy of being an ED physician. With the drop of season two earlier this month, doctors and patients alike have been tuning in in droves.
Related: Doctors are finally excited about a new super realistic medical TV showAnd if season two is anything like the first, this particular med TV drama won't just be entertaining—it may actually have real-world clinical impacts that can ultimately make the job of being a physician just a bit easier.
2 major impacts
According to a recent report from USC's Norman Lear Center, viewers of The Pitt were more likely to seek out information about organ donation and end-of-life care.[] The researchers found that 26.9% of viewers who watched The Pitt’s organ donation (OD) storyline and 38.8% of viewers who watched the show’s end-of-life (EOL) storyline sought out information about organ donation and end-of-life planning, respectively. Roughly 17% of OD viewers shared information online, compared with around 15% of EOL viewers.
“That is fantastic. These are both important issues in medicine that are underrepresented and under-addressed in mainstream media. And while I was not aware of this study, it is no big surprise; from what I’ve seen in The Pitt, [the show] portrayed storylines on those topics exceptionally well and with accuracy,” Stephanie Harman, MD, a clinical professor of medicine and palliative care physician at Stanford University, tells MDLinx.
Here's what docs love
The Pitt is a medical drama featuring hour-long episodes that represent a single shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room.
Many experts have praised the show for its accurate portrayals and its ability to spark conversations among the public.
Carter Neugarten, MD, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford University and an expert in palliative care and emergency medicine, says the show is a refreshing change.
“For decades, television has disproportionately portrayed aggressive medical interventions—especially CPR—as highly successful, which we know can distort public understanding and expectations,” Dr. Neugarten says.
“When a show instead portrays serious illness, dying, palliative care, and organ donation with realism and humanity, it can correct that imbalance,” Dr. Neugarten says.
“From a clinical standpoint, inaccurate portrayals can unintentionally cause harm by shaping preferences that aren’t aligned with real outcomes. So seeing a show prompt people to reflect on values, limits of medicine, and end-of-life planning feels like a meaningful step forward and a powerful example of how media can support more informed, compassionate decision-making,” Dr. Neugarten adds.
Meaningful clinical takeaways for patient counseling
How should physicians respond when their patients come to them with ideas they got from television? Experts recommend keeping an open mind and seeing this as an opportunity for education.
“When television portrays medicine realistically, it can be a great tool for educating patients. Medicine is complex, and media can help spark conversations with patients,” Brintha Vasagar, MD, a family medicine physician, tells MDLinx. “The real key is to develop a strong foundation of trust and ensure patients know they can have these candid conversations about what might be helpful for them as an individual.”
One strategy physicians can adopt in their practice is to respond with curiosity rather than immediately correct patients who come to the clinic with ideas from a medical TV show.
“Physicians should actively welcome these conversations. When a patient brings up something from a show, it’s less important where the idea came from and more important what it represents—often a fear, a hope, or a values-based concern,” Dr. Neugarten says.
“A helpful response is curiosity rather than correction: asking what stood out to them, what worries them, or how it relates to their own situation. From there, we can clarify what’s realistic, what differs in real-life medicine, and how their personal goals and values fit into the discussion. Used well, these moments can deepen trust and understanding rather than derail the discussion,” Dr. Neugarten adds.
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